Friday, June 6, 2014

"We the People" - Nonfiction Book Review by Pat Iacuzzi

We
the People

A
Portrait of the Life and Times of the Revolution

Author: Robert Aldace Wood

Publisher: Hallmark Crown Editions
– 1975

“Did the men who gathered in Philadelphia in the
September of 1774 taste liberty on the wind and see, along with the incipient
change in the seasons, a turning point for their own land? As the bell in old
Christ church summoned them to destiny …”

Published for the celebration of our nation’s Bicentennial this lovely edition boasts beautiful paintings of notable people and events by artists of the time,
including a full page spread of King George III and his family. Richly
illustrated with photos of artifacts (think Early American Life magazine) it
covers such topics as women in colonial times, marriage and family life, and
even devotes a couple of pages to medicine and the healing arts.

I
was also gratified to find an entire chapter devoted to the influence that
different faiths and the Great Awakening had on American revolutionary thought,
and beautiful accompanying photos of early churches, many still in use, from New England through the South.

“The Great Awakening at mid-century was the
first universal, spontaneous movement in the history of the American people. It
swept irresistibly from town to town, leaving in its wake, free-lance
ministries, revulsion for formalism and pedantry and a new-found rapport between
the colonies.”

I’d hazard a guess
from this, that since politics can be so divisive, the Great Awakening did more
to unify the colonies early on than any other movement.

“When the Revolution came, England wanted
to know “who are those upstart rebels?” Edmund Burke told Parliament that
Americans were chiefly Dissenters from the Church of England, accustomed to the
freest discussion of all religious questions and extreme individualism. He said
the right of private judgment in spiritual matters, the right to elect and
dismiss religious leaders, had been carried over into American politics. Edmund
Burke was right.”

This book is not only interesting to read for enjoyment, but offers much for research into the daily life and thought of people of the times. If you look for this book on Amazon or EBay--search under the name of the author, otherwise you will be deluged with literally hundreds of "We the People" titles.Pat Iacuzzi ~ my rating: 5 stars